Super-resolution ultrasound imaging of ischaemia flow: An in silico study.

Super-resolution ultrasound (SRU) is a new ultrasound imaging mode that promises to facilitate the detection of microvascular disease by providing new vascular bio-markers that are directly linked to microvascular pathophysiology, thereby augmenting current knowledge and potentially enabling new treatment. Such a capability can be developed through thorough understanding as articulated by means of mathematical models. In this study, a 2D numerical flow model is adopted for generating flow adaptation in response to ischaemia, in order to determine the ability of SRU to register the resulting flow perturbations.

Non-alcoholic Wernicke Encephalopathy in a Young Patient with Adenocarcinoma of the Colon: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Introduction: Wernicke Encephalopathy (W.E.) is an acute neurological disorder induced by thiamine deficiency.

Vessel recovery using ultrasound localisation microscopy: An in silico comparative study between minimum variance and delay-and-sum beamformers.

The use of particle localisation and tracking algorithms on Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) or other ultrasound mode image data containing sparse microbubble (MB) populations, can produce super-resolved vascularization maps. Typically such data stem from conventional delay and sum (DAS) beamforming that is used widely in ultrasound imaging modes. Recently, adaptive beamforming has shown significant improvement in spatial resolution, but its value to super-resolution image analysis approaches is not fully understood.

ULTRA-SR Challenge: Assessment of Ultrasound Localization and TRacking Algorithms for Super-Resolution Imaging.

With the widespread interest and uptake of super-resolution ultrasound (SRUS) through localization and tracking of microbubbles, also known as ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM), many localization and tracking algorithms have been developed. ULM can image many centimeters into tissue in-vivo and track microvascular flow non-invasively with sub-diffraction resolution. In a significant community effort, we organized a challenge, Ultrasound Localization and TRacking Algorithms for Super-Resolution (ULTRA-SR).

Investigating Aphasia Recovery: Demographic and Clinical Factors.

Post-stroke language recovery remains one of the main unresolved topics in the field of aphasia. In recent years, there have been efforts to identify specific factors that could potentially lead to improved language recovery. However, the exact relationship between the recovery of particular language functions and possible predictors, such as demographic or lesion variables, is yet to be fully understood.

PARP Inhibitors in Colorectal Malignancies: A 2023 Update.

Background: Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies in the Western world, and metastatic disease is associated with a dismal prognosis. Poly-ADpribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors gain increasing attention in the field of medical oncology, as they lead to synthetic lethality in malignancies with preexisting alterations in the DNA damage repair (DDR) pathway. As those alterations are frequently seen in CRC, a targeted approach through PARP inhibitors is expected to benefit these patients, both alone and in combination with other agents like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, antiangiogenics, and radiation.

Unraveling the Thread of Aphasia Rehabilitation: A Translational Cognitive Perspective.

Translational neuroscience is a multidisciplinary field that aims to bridge the gap between basic science and clinical practice. Regarding aphasia rehabilitation, there are still several unresolved issues related to the neural mechanisms that optimize language treatment. Although there are studies providing indications toward a translational approach to the remediation of acquired language disorders, the incorporation of fundamental neuroplasticity principles into this field is still in progress.

Exploring Pragmatic Deficits in Relation to Theory of Mind and Executive Functions: Evidence from Individuals with Right Hemisphere Stroke.

Research investigating pragmatic deficits in individuals with right hemisphere damage focuses on identifying the potential mechanisms responsible for the nature of these impairments. Nonetheless, the presumed shared cognitive mechanisms that could account for these deficits have not yet been established through data-based evidence from lesion studies. This study aimed to examine the co-occurrence of pragmatic language deficits, Theory of Mind impairments, and executive functions while also exploring their associations with brain lesion sites.

Identification of a Novel TSC2 c.170G>A Missense Variant: A Case Report and Elaboration on the Yield of Targeted Options against Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Manifestations.

Background: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disease that affects multiple organs and affects the quality of life. Mutations in TSC1 and TSC2 genes are causing dysregulations in the mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, inducing mostly benign but also malignant tumors, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The diagnosis of TSC, based on established clinical and genetic criteria, is essential for the optimal surveillance and management of patients.

Moyamoya Disease: Clinical and Radiological Characteristics in Adult Greek Patients.

Background And Purpose: The aim of our study is to present, for the first time, the clinical, radiological, and neurocognitive characteristics of Greek adult patients with Moyamoya disease (MMD).

Methods: We analyzed prospectively collected data of 12 patients referred to our department from 2004 to 2019. All patients underwent a thorough diagnostic work up, including extensive clinical, neuroradiological, and neurocognitive assessment.

Unravelling brain connectivity patterns in body dysmorphic disorder during decision-making on visual illusions: A graph theoretical approach.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by an excessive preoccupation with perceived defects in physical appearance, and is associated with compulsive checking. Visual illusions are illusory or distorted subjective perceptions of visual stimuli, which are induced by specific visual cues or contexts. While previous research has investigated visual processing in BDD, the decision-making processes involved in visual illusion processing remain unknown.

Is the Patient Actually Failing on Enzalutamide? A Case Report and Issues to Consider in Enzalutamide-Resistant Oligoprogressive Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Background: Metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is a challenging disease, especially in heavily pretreated patients. Androgen pathway inhibitors have contributed to a notable improvement in the overall survival and quality of life in patients with mCRPC during the last decade. Still, a considerable percentage of patients are unable to draw benefits from this drug category and are deprived of a treatment that offers limited toxicity and preserves a good quality of life.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors and combinations with other agents in cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma consists of a heterogeneous group of malignancies with generally poor prognoses. Immunotherapy has emerged in the treatment landscape of many tumors, offering survival benefits, but data regarding the use of immunotherapy for cholangiocarcinoma remain vague. In this review, the authors analyze differences in the tumor microenvironment and various immune escape mechanisms and discuss available immunotherapy combinations with other agents among completed and ongoing clinical trials, such as chemotherapy, targeted agents, antiangiogenic drugs, local ablative therapies, cancer vaccines, adoptive cell therapy and PARP and TGF-β inhibitors.

Silent Pauses and Speech Indices as Biomarkers for Primary Progressive Aphasia.

: Recent studies highlight the importance of investigating biomarkers for diagnosing and classifying patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Even though there is ongoing research on pathophysiological indices in this field, the use of behavioral variables, and especially speech-derived factors, has drawn little attention in the relevant literature. The present study aims to investigate the possible utility of speech-derived indices, particularly silent pauses, as biomarkers for primary progressive aphasia (PPA).

Bayesian semi-parametric modeling of covariance matrices for multivariate longitudinal data.

The article develops marginal models for multivariate longitudinal responses. Overall, the model consists of five regression submodels, one for the mean and four for the covariance matrix, with the latter resulting by considering various matrix decompositions. The decompositions that we employ are intuitive, easy to understand, and they do not rely on any assumptions such as the presence of an ordering among the multivariate responses.

Neurocognitive Profiles of Caucasian Moyamoya Disease Patients in Greece: A Case Series.

The impact of Moyamoya Disease (MMD) on cognition inadult Caucasian patients has not yet been thoroughly investigated. The current study is the first to present detailed neuropsychological data on a series of Greek patients with MMD. A group of eight patients was assessed with an extensive neuropsychological battery, including measures of episodic memory, working memory, executive functions, language, and social cognition.

Trimodality treatment in gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers: Current approach and future perspectives.

Gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancers represent an aggressive group of malignancies with poor prognosis even when diagnosed in relatively early stage, with an increasing incidence both in Asia and in Western countries. These cancers are characterized by heterogeneity as a result of different pathogenetic mechanisms as shown in recent molecular analyses. Accordingly, the understanding of phenotypic and genotypic correlations/classifications has been improved.

Case Report: Combination of Olaparib With Chemotherapy in a Patient With ATM-Deficient Colorectal Cancer.

Poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are constantly increasing in their indications for use as anti-cancer treatment in various neoplasms, the majority of which are linked with BRCA deficiency. Preclinical data support the investigation of PARP inhibitors in other neoplasms exhibiting "BRCAness" or homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) as monotherapy as well as in combination with chemotherapy. With the current report we present the case of a heavily pretreated 55-year-old male patient diagnosed with stage IV ATM-deficient CRC, who was effectively treated with an off-label olaparib-irinotecan combination after exhaustion of all available treatment choices; furthermore, we discuss the existing data providing evidence for the use of PARP inhibitors in ATM-deficient CRC and encourage the implementation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in patients with no other available treatment options.

The Effects of Different Hormones on Supraventricular and Ventricular Premature Contractions in Healthy Premenopausal Women.

: The effects of gender differences on cardiac parameters have been well-established. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the possible associations of plasma levels of different sex hormones with premature atrial or ventricular contractions in premenopausal women. : We conducted a prospective study which included women in late reproductive age who presented with palpitations during an eight-month period.

Perforated appendicitis induced by pembrolizumab: a case report and review of the literature.

Monoclonal antibodies against programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) are the main representatives in the field of immunotherapy and their indications are constantly increasing in medical oncology and hematology during the last decade. They are associated with long-lasting responses and an acceptable toxicity profile, although they may infrequently cause life-threatening complications requiring prolonged hospitalization or urgent interventions. With the current report, we present the case of a 75-year-old woman diagnosed with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma, who developed acute abdominal pain without preceding symptomatology while on pembrolizumab-pemetrexed maintenance treatment.

Central neurotoxicity induced by trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1): a case report.

Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) - targeted antibody-drug conjugate that is approved for patients previously treated with trastuzumab and a taxane for Her2-positive advanced breast cancer and those who have progressed within 6 months of completion of adjuvant chemotherapy, as well as for patients with residual invasive Her2-positive disease after the completion of adjuvant chemotherapy. Peripheral neuropathy is a common adverse event; however, ocular events have also been described. With the current report we present the case of a 67-year old woman who developed transient grade 2-3 blurred vision after the first T-DM1 infusion, which was complicated with grade 2 diplopia causing vertigo after the second infusion.

High grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast, first line and maintenance immunotherapy.

Small cell carcinomas (SCCs) are poorly differentiated neuroendocrine tumors that arise predominantly in the lung and gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Neuroendocrine carcinomas can occur in a variety of extrapulmonary sites throughout the body, including breast, larynx, GIT, prostate, urinary bladder, ovary and cervix. This is a case report of a 55-year-old Asian female patient with metastatic high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of unknown origin that responded notably to off-label nivolumab maintenance treatment after first-line carboplatin - etoposide chemotherapy and radiation.

Immunotherapy for cholangiocarcinoma: a 2021 update.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare malignancy with generally dismal prognosis. Immunotherapy has revolutionized the management of cancer patients during the last decade, offering durable responses with an acceptable safety profile, but there are still no significant advances regarding CCA. Novel immunotherapeutic methods, such as cancer vaccines, oncolytic viruses, adoptive cell therapy and combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors with other agents are currently under investigation and may improve prognosis.